Patients’ Knowledge about 9 Common Health Conditions: The DECISIONS Survey

Angela Fagerlin, Karen R. Sepucha, Mick P. Couper, Carrie A. Levin, Eleanor Singer and Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher

Medical Decision Making, 2010, vol. 30, issue 5_suppl, 35-52

Abstract: Background To make informed decisions, patients must have adequate knowledge of key decision-relevant facts. Objective To determine adults’ knowledge about information relevant to common types of medication, screening, or surgery decisions they recently made. Setting National sample of US adults identified by random-digit dialing. Design Cross-sectional survey conducted between November 2006 and May 2007. Participants A total of 2575 English-speaking adults aged 40 y or older who reported having discussed the following medical decisions with a health care provider within the previous 2 y: prescription medications for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or depression; screening tests for colorectal, breast, or prostate cancer; or surgeries for knee/hip replacement, cataracts, or lower back pain. Measurements Participants answered knowledge questions and rated the importance of their health care provider, family/friends, and the media as sources of information. Results Accuracy rates varied widely across questions and decision contexts. For example, patients considering cataract surgery were more likely to correctly estimate recovery time than those patients considering lower back pain or knee/hip replacement (78% v. 29% and 39%, P

Keywords: informed decision making; patient education; knowledge. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:medema:v:30:y:2010:i:5_suppl:p:35-52

DOI: 10.1177/0272989X10378700

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